I.S. glass forming machine

ABSTRACT

A mold open and close mechanism for an I.S. machine is provided which separates the drive including the motor and the housing. The drive portion is releasably connected to the housing so that the drive can be easily removed for repair or replacement.

The present invention relates to I.S. glass container forming machinesand more particularly to the mold open and close mechanisms of suchmachines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In an I.S. machine a gob of molten glass is formed into a parison withina blank mold and the formed parison is transferred to a blow stationwhere the parison is blown within a blow mold into a formed bottle. Theblow molds and the blank molds are part of a mold open and closemechanism such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,254.

In that design, a mold carrier is connected to a pair of links via ahorizontal rotatable shaft. The links are part of a drive assembly. Theremoval of the shaft permits the separation of the mold carrier from thedrive assembly. The entire drive assembly, including the drive assemblyhousing, could then be removed by loosening bolts which secured thedrive assembly housing to the top surface of the frame and pulling thehousing, with the housed drive assembly, upwardly lifting the motor ofthe drive assembly up through a hole in the section frame. In thisdesign, the link bearings were hard to maintain.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an I.S. glasscontainer forming machine in which the mold carrier and drive assemblycan be more easily removed and the link bearings will be easier tomaintain.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following portion of this specification and from theaccompanying drawings which illustrate in accordance with the mandate ofthe patent statutes a presently preferred embodiment incorporating theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of a mold open and close mechanism of an I.S.(individual section) machine;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 with the insert assemblybeing separated from the actuator housing;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view showing a shaft supported by a pair ofdrive links of the insert assembly;

FIG. 4 is an exploded oblique view of the supported mold carrierassembly;

FIG. 5 is an oblique view of the mold open and close mechanism and aside frame; and

FIG. 6 is an oblique view, partly in section, of the insert assembly anda supported mold carrier assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 discloses an insert assembly 10 and an actuator housing 12. Theactuator housing is mounted on the top wall 13 of a section frame viasuitable bolts 14. The top wall has a hole (not shown) through which themotor 16 of the insert assembly 10 can pass. As can be seen from FIG. 2,the actuator housing has a pair of vertically extending flanges 18 (oneshown) to which the insert assembly housing 19 is secured with suitablebolts 20. Dowel pins 22 assure proper location. Secured to the insertassembly housing 19 are the motor 16 and a ball screw 24 which extendsbetween a top plate 29 and a motor coupling 23 (FIG. 5). Associated withthe ball screw is a nut 25 to which pins 26 are secured for pivotallysupporting one end of a pair of drive links 27. A shaft 30 (FIG. 3) hasa pair of cylindrical bearing surfaces 33 (FIG. 6) to be received by thelink holes 31 and has flat portions 28 at either side of the bearingsurfaces 33. Threaded holes 32 are defined in these flat portions.

Operatively associated with this shaft 30 is a mold support mechanism(FIG. 4) which has a mold carrier 34 to which upper and lower inserts 36are secured. Also secured to the mold carrier are an opposed pair ofrails 38 (the moveable rails) which are slidingly displaceable betweenupper 40 and lower 41 fixed rails (one pair shown) which are removablysecured to a side frame 42. The rails have a length selected so thatwhen the opposed mold open and close mechanism is fully retracted, themold support movable rail can be pulled free from the fixed railsthereby permitting the release of the mold carrier from the machine withthe removal of the bolts which extend through suitable holes in the moldcarrier 34 into the threaded holes 32 in the shaft 30 so that the moldsupport mechanism can be repaired or replaced.

The holes 31 of the link pair remote from the nut 25 are defined by abearing 46. To achieve lubrication of this bearing lubricating oil issupplied to an inlet 50 in the actuator housing 12 (FIG. 5) which, via abranch 52 supplies a vertical conduit 54. A top horizontal branch 55communicates with a corresponding branch 56 in the side frame 42 andthis branch connects with a vertical conduit 57 in the frame whichcommunicates with a vertical feed hole 58 in the upper fixed rail 40.Oil will be periodically pulsed through this feed conduit onto the topsurface of the movable rail 38 (there will always be a portion of themovable rail beneath feed hole 58). The oil collects in a series ofgrooves 60 cut into the top surface of the movable rail which defines asmall oil reservoir. This provides lubrication of the top surface andoil that drips over the top surface lubricates the top surface of thelower fixed rail. Communicating with this reservoir is a vertical inletconduit 80 (FIG. 6) which connects to a horizontal inlet conduit 81. Oilproceeds by gravity to an inclined conduit 82 in the carrier and thenthrough a transverse hole 83 into a coaxial hole 84 in the shaft 30 to ahorizontal feed conduit 86 to a vertical outlet conduit 88 whichcommunicates with the surface of the supporting bearing midway along itslength.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mold open and close mechanism to be secured tothe top wall of an I.S. machine, the top wall having an opening therein,comprising an actuator housing to be secured to the top wall, avertically extending insert assembly including a housing, and a drivemounted on said housing, said drive including a nut supporting drivelink means, and means including a vertically positioned motor fordisplacing said nut, said actuator housing defining a verticallyextending housing opening above the top wall opening so that saidvertically extending insert assembly can be inserted through the housingopening and into the top wall opening, said actuator housing includingvertically extending flange means, said insert assembly housingincluding mounting means for engaging said flange means and fastenermeans for securing said mounting means to said flange means whereby withthe release of said fastener means said insert assembly can be liftedfrom the machine.
 2. A mold open and close mechanism according to claim1, wherein said means including a vertically positioned motor fordisplacing said nut further includes a screw operatively associated withsaid nut and a coupling for connecting said screw and said motor.
 3. Amold open and close mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said drivelink means comprises a pair of links.